Collapsible covered container or box



May l1, 1954 K. T. BUTTERY 2,678,153-

COLLAPVSIBLE COVERED CONTAINER OR BOX Original Filed Nov. 21, 1949Patented May 11, 19544 COLLAPSIBLE COVERED `CONTAINER R BOX `Kenneth T,Buttery, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor to Sutherland Paper Company,Kalamazoo,

"Mich.

Original application November 21, 1949, Serial No. 128,575, now PatentNo. 2,645,404, dated July `15, `1953. `Divided and this application Feb-I ruary 6, 1952, SerialNo. 270,229

SClaims. `1

This invention `relates toimprovement in collapsible coveredcontainer orboxI and is a division of my application `for Letters Patent, `SerialNo. 128,575 led November 21, 1949, now Patent No. 2,645,404.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a covered container or box in'which the covermay bevery quickly closed or opened and `reclosed and when closed the cover issecured and eiectively supported.

Second, to provide a container having these advantages which may beformed integrally of relatively light paper board or container stock andat the same time is rigid when erected and the contents effectivelyprotected when the container is subjected to repeated handling.

Objects relating to detailsandueconomies of the invention will appearfrom therdescription'tofollow. The invention is defined and` pointed outin the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Figa1 is a frontperspective View of a container embodying my inventionwith the cover closed.

Fig. 2 is a front perspective View with the cover open.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating one ofthe steps in closing the cover.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary interior perspective view showingstructural details.

Fig. 5y is a plan View of the blank.

I have illustrated by invention as embodied in an elongated containerand for convenience in description in the specication and claims, I usethe terms front, rear and end walls but it will be understood that myinvention is equally well adapted to square containers and containers ofother shapes and proportions.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated is formed of a single blankillustrated in Fig. 5 and comprises a bottom I, front wall 2, rear wall3 and end walls 4 hingedly connected to the bottom by hinging scoresconventionally illustrated at 5 in Fig. 4. The cover 6 is hingedlyconnected at the upper edge of the rear wall at l and is provided with aclosure flap 8 on its swinging edge hingedly connected thereto at 9.

The closure flap is provided with tongues I0 spaced longitudinallythereof and located near the ends of the closure aps and projecting fromits outer edge. These tongues have locking lugs I I projecting outwardlyand oppositely. The end walls have cover supporting flaps I4 on theirupper edges. The front wall 2 and the rear wall 3 are provided withcorner flaps I2 and I3 respectively.

The end walls are provided with slits I5 extending diagonally outwardand opening at the end edges of the end walls thus providing deflectableportions I5I above the slits I5. The end walls have notch-like recessesIB in their end edges and slits I1 extending diagonally inward providingdeflectable portions I8.

The corner flaps -have upwardly projecting tongues |19 and downwardlyprojecting tongues 20. The slits I8 are adapted to receive the inneredges of the corner flaps when they are disposed in erected position.This permits the engagement of thetongues I9 with the portions of theend walls above theslits I4 and the engagement of the downwardlyprojecting tongues 2li with the portions I8 below the recesses.

The front wall is provided with T-shaped slits 2| adapted to receive thetongues I0. The stern portions 22` of these 'If-shaped slits open to thetop edge of the front wall thus providing deflectable portions `23 ateach side of the vertical portion 22 of the slits and between the topedge of the front wall and the horizontal portions 24 of the slits. Whenthe carton is erected with the cover supporting aps I4 in position asshown in Figs. 2 and 3 the cover is closed downwardly of the same and insupported relation thereto and the tongues I0 of the closure flap 8 areforced into the T-shaped slits. This is readily accomplished by pressingthe tongues against the deflectable portions 23 in the iront wall as isillustrated in Fig. 3. The cover nap is inserted between the front edges24 of the flaps I4 and the front wall which results in a very rigidconstruction. The lugs II look under the bottom edges 25 of the outerdeflectable portions 23. This manipulation may be Very quickly andeasily accomplished.

To open the container it is necessary only to grasp the closure flap 8between the tongues I0 and pull outwardly and upwardly. This results inretracting the lugs or drawing them toward each other and disengagingthem from their locking engagement with the slits as is illustrated inFig. 4. This interlocking for the cover with the frontwall holds thecover very rmly and close ly upon the cover supporting naps I 4 and atthe same time the cover may be quickly locked in closed position andreleased by merely pulling have not attempted to illustrate or describeother adaptations as it is believed that this disclosure will enablethose skilled in the art to embody or adapt my invention as may bedesired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A container comprising bottom, iront, rear and end walls, and a coverhingedly connected to the top edge of the rear wall, the cover having aclosure flap hingedly connected to its swinging edge and provided withlongitudinally spaced tongues having laterally projecting lugs on theirouter side edges, the front and rear Walls having parts in interlockingengagement with the end walls, the end walls being provided with coversupporting aps on their upper edges, the front wall being provided withinverted T-shaped slits, the head portions of which are spaced below thetop edge of the front wall and are of a length approximating thehorizontal dimensions of the tongues and their lugs to facilitateinsertion of the tongues and their lugs through the head portions, thestem portions of the slits opening to the top edge of the front wall,said slits in said front wall being adapted to Yreceive said tongues onsaid closure flap with the top edges of the lugs lockingly engaged belowthe top edges of the head portions of the slits, the tongues on saidclosure flap being longitudinally spaced to permit grasping of theclosure flap between them for disengaging the cover flap from the frontWall.

2, A container comprising bottom, front, rear and end walls, and a coverhingedly connected to the top edge of the rear wall, the cover having aclosure flap hingedly connected to its swinging edge and provided withlongitudinally spaced tongues having laterally projecting lugs on theirouter side edges, the front Wall being provided i with inverted T-shapedslits, the head portions of which are spaced below the top edge of thefront wall and are of a length approximating the horizontal dimensionsof the tongues and their lugs to facilitate insertion of the tongues andtheir lugs through the head portions, the stem portions of the slitsopening, to the top edge of the front wall, said slits in said frontwall being adapted to receive said tongues on said closure iiap with thetop edges of the lugs lockingly engaged below the top edges of the headportions of the slits, the tongues on said closure flap beinglongitudinally spaced to permit grasping of the closure flap betweenthem for disengaging the cover ap from the front wall.

3. A container comprising, a bottom and front, rear and end wallsextending from correspond ing edges of the bottom, and a cover hingedlyconnected to the top edge of the rear wall, the cover having a closurenap hingedly connected to its swinging edge and overlappingly engagingthe front wall, the front wall having an inverted T-shaped slit openingto the top edge thereof, said closure flap. having a tongue projectingfrom the edge thereof and having a laterally projecting lug engageablebeneath the top edge of the horizontal portion of said slit, said tonguebeing in alignment with the vertical portion of the slit, the horizontaldimension of the tongue and its lug being less than the length of thehorizontal portion of the slit facilitating engagement of the tongue byinward pressure thereon with the tongue in overlying contact with thefront wall and in overlapping relation to the vertical portion of theslit.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 886,308 Reynolds Apr. 28, 1908 1,174,605 Palmer Mar. '7, 19162,304,362 Huye Dec. 8, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 87,533Germany Mar. 10, 1922

